Last War
by Sleeping-force's-inside
Summary: A single mistake of judgement, an overreaction and the Prophecy that created Athena now demands fulfillment. By killing her. Epilogue online! R & E & R
1. Chapter 1

**Category:** **Greek Mythology**

**Rating:** **M**

**Couples:** **Athena/?, Hephaestus/OC**

**Warnings:** **AU (OOCness for some of the gods at times), Hints of Lemon, Blood: read Torture (but nothing graphic), Character Death **

**Chapter:** **1**

**Copyright:** **Greek Gods © By Whomever they belong, Plot & OC´s © by me**

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"You betrayed me, Zeus. Rule of everything and revenge on Kronos in exchange for the freedom of all my children. Will you never learn? I am Gaia! I am the Mother of all, how dare you try and trick me? I see you yourself will be a father soon. Very well, I can keep this up indefinitely. The child Metis is carrying right now will be the last in line though. The treachery in the name of your spawn with Metis will be the final uprising. It will either make or destroy you. Heed me, Zeus, as your father did not: that child will either be your ultimate downfall or your never-ending glory. The one betrayed in its' name will fall and he will end forever. In the wake of its' treachery, even the gods are not immortal. Ichor will spill from lethal wounds and drench the soil, mortals will pray to dead ears and no one, not even you, will be able to avert this. The child of Metis will surpass you, Zeus, in power, in everything. Typhon will seem like a bug in comparison to it! Enjoy your rule, traitor, enjoy it while it lasts."

Words he only faintly remembered. He almost automatically had tried to keep them from happening, but fate was a tricky thing. Despite eating her, Metis gave him a daughter, beautiful and wise. When she had sprung from his head, she had screamed a war-cry into the silent night like no other ever heard up until that point or ever heard again. He had felt Gaia tremble beneath his feet then and he realized it had not been in fear or shock, but rather sick expectation. But Athena, fair and noble Athena, had proved to be loyal to her father, despite him eating her mother and he had forgotten about the prophecy. Athena would never betray him. He was safe and Gaia's words were empty and powerless. Oh, how come they never learn? Mortals and gods alike still have to learn one very important lesson: fate is not to be denied. And not even mighty Zeus can change that.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Are you blaming me for Dionysus spiking the wine?" Athena screeched at her father, disbelief prominent in her face. "If I recall properly you were too drunk to even do anything at all!"

"Better too drunk to do anything than too drunk to keep an oath of virginity!" Zeus bellowed. "Not only did you apparently sleep with several men, but you also got yourself knocked up!"

"And I told you: how was I supposed to prevent that?" Athena demanded. "No one save Mister Wine himself realized that the wine was spiked until the next day. So how could I have known?"

"I don't blame you for the wine, I blame you for the child you carry almost proudly into this Hall!" Thunder accentuated the sentence as Zeus' voice boomed through said hall. He and Athena were alone in the Throne-room of Olympus, the other gods were either still recovering from their hangover from Dionysus' and Hermes' prank or had left when the tempers of the King of the Gods and his favorite child exploded.

"What should I have done then? Hidden myself in my temple?" She countered, her voice carrying equal power to that of her father. "I'm a goddess, for Tartarus' sake! It's not like I can abort the child! I might not know who I slept with, but I can assure you it was a god."

"You could have prevented this entire mess from happening! Demeter had more wine than you and she slept with no one!" Lightning streaked across the sky.

"Well, congratulations to her then." Athena snarled. "How dare you blame me for something you do regularly?"

"What?"

"You break oaths here and there, dad, don't even try to deny it. How often did you swear to Hera that that affair would be the last? And exactly how often did I have to run after the kid to ensure he lived through Hera's hate? How often did you send me to help some half-mortal spawn born from YOUR loins?" She pointed accusingly at him. "How dare you speak to me about broken oaths then? I broke mine, yes, but I will stand up and live with the consequences unlike a certain other god I shan't name."

"How dare you take such a tone with me?" Now lightning struck, mere inches from where the daughter of Zeus was standing. Disbelief came upon her face for but a moment.

"You would strike me down, father?" Her grey eyes blazed with new fury. "You would strike down your favorite daughter after she made a mistake you made willingly a hundred times?"

"If you speak to me like this you are no daughter of mine!" His fury fed the air around him, filling it with the howling of the wind and the crashing of thunder. Blinded by fury he struck again, and this time he hit her hard.

As she crashed into the ground on the other side of the hall, the impact of her armor-clad form ruining the marble tiles, he rose to his full height. "You broke your oath, Athena, an oath you swore on ME! For that, you shall pay: none, no mortal or god, are to help you while that child grows inside you! You will wander the earth until it is born, and no one is to help you! And when you return to Olympus, I hope you learned humility!"

The wind howled then, the earth shook and Zeus threw his favorite daughter from Olympus. And far away, beyond the sight of Olympus Gaia laughed as she felt Athena crash into the ground far from all civilization, in the empty lands where none dwelt save beasts and monsters, who had fled from the forces of humanity and the Heroes sprung from immortal loins. The time had come. The treachery in the name of the child of Metis would unfold soon and Zeus would pay dearly for having betrayed her all those eons ago. Enjoy your rule, traitor, enjoy it while it lasts.


	2. Chapter 2

**Category:** **Greek Mythology**

**Rating:** **M**

**Couples:** **Athena/?, Hephaestus/OC**

**Warnings:** **AU (OOCness for some of the gods at times), Hints of Lemon, Blood: read Torture (but nothing graphic), Character Death **

**Chapter:** **2**

**Copyright:** **Greek Gods © By Whomever they belong, Plot & OC´s © by me**

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

He saw that they were upset, but none of the 10 other Olympians dared to speak up against his punishment of Athena. But he saw the disapproval in their eyes and was almost ashamed at it. Perhaps he had overreacted a bit, but Athena had obviously never learned humility. She was his favorite, so perhaps he was to blame for that himself.

Artemis was the first to excuse herself, shortly followed by Apollo. Both of them had been dear friends of Athena and now could barely hide their feelings.

He knew that even those two would not disobey him and help their sister, but he saw something in his daughter's eyes as she all but stormed from the throne room: anger. She was angry and upset and her brother seemed affected by those feelings as the music floating from his temple was shrill and … wrong even.

But what surprised him the most was the reaction of Ares. The War-god too was upset, visibly so, by his sister's fate and had the utmost trouble to hide it. When the meeting was over he traveled to Sparta, the city he ruled together with Athena and locked himself in his temple there.

Athena herself however traveled even further north than her father had cast her, as if wishing to put as much distance between her and Olympus as she could. Helios reported she had made herself a simple cottage near the northern-most border of the world from which she only rarely set forth as time progressed.

Months passed by and the birth of her child, begotten in a night of drunkenness, came ever closer. Athena now never left her cottage and the twin-children of Leto had all but abandoned Olympus. Ares grew ever more restless, his temper flaring even more than it used to. He became a rebel against his father and his hate for his sire, who had always put him last of all his immortal children, grew by the day.

Then came the day were all three of them could not be found. Helios could only report they had come together in Ares' temple in Sparta, before night had fallen. Selene had not seen them leave, but by the next day all three had seemingly vanished from the face of the earth. But not only had they vanished: the armories of both Athena's and Ares' temples across Greece were empty. The armors and weapons both had received over the decades were gone. Not only the mortal-made, but also those made by the Cyclops and Hephaestus were taken.

He paid it little heed. What could those three do? He had more pressing matters to worry about at any rate: Athena would soon return. How would he behave towards her? Or the child for that matter? Was he to simply accept them both on Olympus?

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Artemis couldn't believe her eyes. She forgot that two of her brothers were next to her, and was only focused on the small bed on the far away wall. The woman on it didn't move as the Huntress moved closer, hesitating with every step.

Golden ichor, the blood of the gods, coated the lower half of the bed and woman. Silver eyes had grown dull, staring in agony at the ceiling. The frail, but strong hands would have rested almost peacefully next to the body had they not been clawing at the fabric. The skin of the stomach was still stretched taut over the child inside it.

A sound as pitiful as that of a wounded animal broke the silence in the small room. Artemis didn't realize it was she who had uttered it as she collapsed at the bedside. She reached out with her hands, cupping the face in them. She brushed some strands of hair away with her thumbs.

Ares and Apollo had to watch helplessly as their sister broke, howling in grief and agony. Neither dared to believe it, but Artemis' reaction had confirmed their worst fears. While Apollo rushed to comfort his twin, Ares turned on his heels, running from the small cottage.

The next moment he stormed up Olympus' main street, aiming for the grand palace at the very top of the sacred mountain. His anger radiated of off him in waves, the nymphs making haste to not be in his way as he progressed, rather seeking shelter in the temples lining the way.

"Father!" His deep voice boomed in the marble hallways like his father's thunder. The doors to the throne-room crashed against the walls as he threw them open, drawing his sword as he crossed the marble floor.

Had it not been for Poseidon's quick reaction, he would have split Zeus' head. The trident quivered under the force of the War-god, his uncle straining to keep the weapon between the enraged immortal and himself.

"Ares!" Zeus' voice was louder still as he rose from his throne. "Have you lost your mind?"

"Never." The trident was pushed down even more, the Lord of the Sea finding that his opponent was his superior in raw strength. Then the pressure was gone.

Hades, just arrived to visit his family, had taken one of the decorative swords and swung it at Ares. Now both he and his brother formed a wall between the War-god and their baby-brother.

"Let me pass." Ares growled, his eyes burning with his anger. The other gods in the room did not dare to move, almost fearing the anger – one couldn't call it blood-thirst: Ares was beyond that – so fully unleashed now. "Let. Me. At. Him."

"No." Poseidon said. "What has gotten into you?"

"I want to kill him!" Once more the deep tenor of Ares made the walls tremble. "He has to die!"

"I dare you to try that." The voice of the King of the Gods held only contempt. "Step down, son, or face my wrath."

"How dare you?" Hate dripped of those words, mixing with fury. "You know why I am here, and you dare threaten me?"

"Actually I don't." Zeus took his seat again. "Now leave."

"You don't?" Ares seemed to deflate. "You did not hear her? Her cries for you?"

"I heard no one crying for me until you stormed the palace." Zeus answered him.

"You ignored her!" The anger of the War-god exploded once more. "You let her die! Murderer! You killed her!"

"Mortals die every day. That is no need to attack your father!" Hera bit at her son. "Lower that sword now!"

"Mortals?" Ares all but screeched. "She was no mortal and yet she lies dead!"

His power reached for the great mirror on the wall. "Show me! Show me my father's greatest sin!"

The silver surface started to ripple, forming images. A woman was screaming in grief, while a man desperately tried to console her. On a bed near them lay another woman. Zeus' eyes narrowed as he recognized Artemis and Apollo. What were they doing there?

"Look at the corpse, father! Look at what they mourn!" Ares' voice came over Artemis' screams.

It took but a few moments before another voice joined in: Aphrodite's. Sheer horror made her voice shrill like that of a harpy.

It was Athena. The Twins of Leto mourned their sister, who lay dead on the bed before them. The King of the Gods felt like his heart stopped beating.


	3. Chapter 3

**Category:** **Greek Mythology**

**Rating:** **M**

**Couples:** **Athena/?, Hephaestus/OC**

**Warnings:** **AU (OOCness for some of the gods at times), Hints of Lemon, Blood: read Torture (but nothing graphic), Character Death **

**Chapter:** **3**

**Copyright:** **Greek Gods © By Whomever they belong, Plot & OC´s © by me**

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"For that, you will pay, father." Ares' voice was no more than a hiss. "You went too far this time."

Zeus did not react, his sky-blue eyes fixed on the unmoving face of his favorite child. "I… how…?"

"You know that very well, father!" Ares pointed his sword at his sire. "Your order! You killed her and her child! Murderer!" He should have charged. He was certain he would have reached the man on the throne: everyone was too fixed on the image on the far wall to stop him. But Ares lived on pain, another's agony was his nectar and screams filled with pain were sweeter than ambrosia to him. But that did not guide him now, now it was something else: a promise on the Styx which he had sworn long ago.

"I… never…" Zeus couldn't form a proper sentence and found himself helpless.

"'No mortal or god is to help you while that child grows inside you.' Those were your words, father. No patron-goddess of childbirth could help her. She killed herself trying to birth the child. She pushed herself to death!" Ares hissed. "You murdered your favorite child and have torn asunder Olympus."

"What?" Hades turned to his nephew. "What do you mean with that?"

Ares righted himself, staring down his uncle. "As the God of War I say: let there be war. Let the children of Zeus fight against their father as he did against his own. Let the ichor of the immortal Gods taint the earth. And may the Fates cry out in dismay when they find they must cut the strings of the Gods themselves. These are my words, the words of War."

Before anyone could stop him Ares left the throne-room, leaving a deafening silence in his wake, which was only broken by the sobs of Artemis. Seconds later he appeared on the very image Zeus couldn't tear his eyes away from. The twin-children of Leto looked up at him and upon some unspoken agreement rose. Apollo tenderly lifted Athena's body, following after his siblings.

Zeus however did not move, crushing the armrests of his throne in his powerful grip. Even after the image showed nothing more than an empty room with a ruined bed he kept staring at it. He couldn't even tell how much time had passed when Hera's voice finally reached him. "We must prepare, beloved."

"Prepare?" He breathed.

"Have you heard nothing of Ares' curse?" She pulled him from the throne. "Come, let us deal with him and the twins."

"But… Athena…" Zeus' agonized stare turned to the mirror once more, but someone had broken the enchantment, leaving only shining silver. It was the exact same hue her eyes had been. How come he never noticed that? "I must…"

"You must nothing." Her voice was firm, but gentle. "You can't do anything for her."

"No… I…" He wasn't sure what he wanted to say. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do. Zeus, Lord of the Sky, King of the Gods, crumbled onto the cold marble floor.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Uncle will return soon." Artemis mused while she cleaned up Athena. Apollo had lowered their sister on the bed in Hades' private chambers in the Underworld and now all three of them were waiting for the master of this domain to return from Olympus. "I hope your ploy works, Ares."

"It will work." The War-god was leaning against the window-frame, watching for the black chariot that would bear his uncle to the palace. "It comes from the mind of our best strategist after all."

"You really shouldn't have announced our intentions like that, Ares." Apollo spoke from the adjoining bath. He entered with a bowl of steaming water, carrying it to the bed. "They'll expect something now."

"Let them. They have no chance against the Titans. Not anymore." The black-haired male looked at the closed eyes of his sister. She had been his counterpart in the pantheon and despite the animosity the mortals always seemed to ascribe to them, she had been his favorite sister. "Besides, how can we end the prophecy in our favor when all of them die in the first attack?"

His siblings couldn't answer, for the sound of thundering hooves broke the stillness of the air outside. Hades had returned from Olympus. "I'll greet our uncle." Ares' voice allowed no argument.

"Uncle." Hades reached the throne-room just before Ares. He whipped around to face his nephew.

"What are you doing here?" The King of the Dead demanded.

"Bringing war to Olympus." The adamantine sword crashed into the tiles where Hades had stood but seconds before. "As I promised. Do not fight me, uncle. You stand no chance."

"You are truly mad." A black bident, the two-pointed sibling to Poseidon's trident, appeared in Hades' hands. "It is you who stands no chance."

"Then you know nothing." The two black-haired deities battled on the obsidian floor of the grand room. Hades' weapon had a wider reach, but Ares' allowed him to be much more nimble. In the end it was the warrior who won. Hades was held on the floor, the adamantine blade of his brother's youngest legal child pressed against his neck. The bident lay forgotten just out of reach.

"So what are you going to do?" He ground out. "Even with the Underworld, you cannot challenge Olympus."

Ares pressed the flat of his blade against his uncle's neck, not cutting the skin while still shutting him up. "Perhaps…" He mused, before leaning down to whisper in the ear of the man beneath him. "But what about Tartarus and content? I think grandpa will love me after I free him…"

He was rewarded with the almost impossible widening of pitch-black eyes.


	4. Chapter 4

**Category:** **Greek Mythology**

**Rating:** **M**

**Couples:** **Athena/?, Hephaestus/OC**

**Warnings:** **AU (OOCness for some of the gods at times), Hints of Lemon, Blood: read Torture (but nothing graphic), Character Death **

**Chapter:** **4**

**Copyright:** **Greek Gods © By Whomever they belong, Plot & OC´s © by me**

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"No!" Hades ground out. "You can't do that!"

"Why not?" Ares hissed. "Do you expect us to fight Olympus alone? What kind of war would that be?"

"Kronos will raze Olympus to the ground." Hades tried to dislodge his nephew. "You will destroy us all."

"As you deserve." Ares rammed his knee into his uncle's stomach, making the elder groan in pain. "You deserve this. None cared about Athena save the three of us. Only we are willing to avenge her."

"It was an unfortunate accident." Hades struggled to remove the knee out of his stomach. "While terrible, not enough to warrant this."

His head impacted with the floor. The light of Apollo's fury blinded him. "She was his favorite and he murdered her over one small mistake. What can his lesser children expect from him then?" The hand around his neck grew hot. "Go, brother."

Ares rose from Hades' chest, leaving the room. On his way out he passed Artemis, who nodded at his questioning glance.

"Ares! Don't!" The Lord of the Underworld cried. Ares ignored his fading voice, marching through the palace to the northern gate from where one could see the gates of Tartarus in the distance.

Behind the massive iron gates was only blackness. Shadows crept out from between the bars before being sucked down again. Hate and anger rolled from the blackness in massive waves.

"Kronos!" The God of War called, squinting into the darkness.

"Who calls?" The voice was much like Zeus', but had nothing of its' warmth.

"Your grandson, Ares." The waves of anger turned into veritable tsunamis at those words.

"Be gone, son of Zeus. I have no wish to speak with you."

"Even when it could give you your freedom?" Ares countered, feeling powerful gazes rest upon him now.

"How?"

"Zeus has betrayed me and my siblings. We wish for vengeance. Give us that, and you can once more walk freely." Ares offered. "Give us war upon Olympus and I will tear down these gates to free you."

"Why should I have dealings with you?" Golden eyes manifested in the darkness, their gaze burning.

"How else will you get out? I cannot assure you victory, but I can assure you freedom." Ares stepped forward, inches separating his face from the eyes locked on his. "Swear on the Styx to fulfill my demands and I shall do the same."

"Which are?"

"Bring war to Olympus, and allow us to stand at your side, as your children should have done." Ares demanded. "In exchange, I give you your freedom and a Kingdom to booth."

"And you'll help me? Where is your loyalty?" Kronos' mocked.

"Next to my sister's corpse. She is immortal and he murdered her." Ares hissed in anger. "Your answer?"

"You have a deal."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Hades would have been humiliated if he didn't feel so horrified. Apollo had used the black bident to nail his hands to the floor and now he could only wait helplessly for Ares to return with Kronos in tow.

"Please." He once more tried to plead with his other nephew, but Apollo had gained a new stubbornness over the course of a few hours. "This is not the answer."

"But it is, uncle." Apollo lounged on the elaborate throne, while Artemis was leaning against one of the many statues lining the room, idly playing with her bow. "This is the fate of Olympus."

"You can still change it! I beg you, stop Ares." Hades ignored the golden ichor running from his hands as he struggled to dislodge his own weapon. "Please! Make Zeus pay how you wish, but not like this! Do not doom Olympus because of his mistakes."

"'His mistakes'?" Artemis echoed. "None of the Olympians even once mentioned Athena. They let her die. As the mortal-law goes: 'one who knows and does nothing to prevent the evil, is as guilty as the one who committed it.' They killed her as much as he did. As such, they will share his fate."

Hades fell into a horrified silence. These were not the children of his brother he knew. These could not be the little ones who had once hid behind their father at seeing him, terrified of the aura of the Underworld. Those children had been cute, brave, maybe a bit foolish – what with shooting him – but never bloodthirsty and downright murderous towards their family.

He heard footsteps in the floor leading to his throne-room. He craned his neck to see the door, before nearly crying out in horror at what he felt: Ares, but also Kronos and many of the other Titans. He had actually done it: Ares had actually freed the Titans!

The door opened, and Ares led the way inside, shortly followed by an old man, with thick white hair and stunning golden eyes. Those very eyes glowed with pleasure when landing on the body on the floor.

"Hello, my dear son. Shouldn't you get up to greet your father?" Kronos crouched down next to Hades as the Twins joined Ares, sending him a series of glances which he answered with a nod. "I see you made yourself quite a living here, I like what you did to this place."

He rose, looking upon the elaborate throne standing at the other side of the room. "Who sits on the other throne?"

Hades turned his horrified eyes to the three standing mere feet from them, pleading them silently not to tell Kronos that particular tidbit of information.

"Hades' queen, Persephone, daughter of Zeus and Demeter." Apollo said coldly, glaring at his uncle. "She's not here at the moment though. Half-year deal has her stay at Olympus now."

"Kingdom and Queen. Time really was kind to you." The mocking tone belied the kindness those words might have carried as Kronos sat down on the throne of his oldest son.


	5. Chapter 5

**Category:** **Greek Mythology**

**Rating:** **M**

**Couples:** **Athena/?, Hephaestus/OC**

**Warnings:** **AU (OOCness for some of the gods at times), Hints of Lemon, Blood: read Torture (but nothing graphic), Character Death **

**Chapter:** **5**

**Copyright:** **Greek Gods © By Whomever they belong, Plot & OC´s © by me**

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

It could have been worse, Hades tried to tell himself. Kronos could have sent his nephews and niece to retrieve Persephone from the Upperworld, but he had not. That was all that mattered, Hades repeated in his head. Her safety was worth everything to him.

He howled as the whip hit his back again, the adamantine shards woven into the leather tearing his flesh, perhaps even his bones.

"Careful, brother, you heard grandfather: no permanent damage." Apollo lifted their uncle's head, studying the pain-filled eyes. Hades was panting, his entire body quivered. "e JHe I suggest you switch sides: his back can't take much more."

"You're the healer." Ares' voice came from behind the Lord of the Dead. He appeared in front of him, the whip he held golden from all the ichor his torture had spilled already. Hades would have cowered in a corner if he could have, pride and appearances be damned. But the chains that held him up were very well-forged. "I think I'll switch weapon though. This is growing boring."

The God of War threw the whip in a corner, diving in one of the assorted chests lining the left wall.

"I knew you're sick, but that you have chests full of torture-weapons just proves it." Did Apollo actually sound amused at that? Hades thought he heard a faint tinge of it in his voice. Perhaps if his back wasn't stripped bare of all his skin, he might have been able to concentrate.

"Who do you think invented torture?" Ares came up again, twirling something in his fingers before discarding it. "I wish I could have brought the Bull."

"Explain to grandfather what it is, and I'm sure he'll have it made." Apollo shrugged, his slender fingers running over his uncle's back. A gentle warmth seeped from them into the tortured flesh.

"You…" Hades croaked, before a hand clamped down over his mouth. Ares glared at him as Apollo continued down.

"I only want to hear screams; nothing else will leave your lips." His black-haired nephew tightened his grip briefly, before returning to the chests. "Ah… Perhaps this is suitable?"

"A chain?" Apollo looked over Hades' shoulder. "How can that torture him?"

"I'll show you." Ares approached the both of them. "Help me put it on him."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"You called?" Ares bowed to his grandfather, Apollo next to him mirroring his actions.

"Yes, join me." Kronos gestured to the sides of his throne. Artemis was sitting beside him already, watching her brothers join them. "Artemis has been keeping me entertained."

"And what did I do, bother you?" Ares glared.

"You provided me with wonderful background-music." Kronos smiled, but his golden eyes remained cold. "I almost pitied Hades."

While Apollo sat down next to his twin, Ares sat down on the other side of the throne.

"Artemis has been telling me some of the myths the mortals tell each other these days." Kronos looked at his grandsons. "Including those of the war of Troy."

"Does that include Diomedes?" Ares growled.

"Among others. You do not exactly have a good track-record, Ares." Kronos' golden eyes narrowed.

"Only if Athena is on the other side." Ares looked up. "And father ensured she is not this time. And have I not given you the Underworld itself? Have I not offered you Hades, oldest of your sons, on a plate?"

"You have done all that." Kronos nodded. "We shall let it rest. I called you here because while Artemis told me myths, those myths themselves are sparse with mentioning family-bonds. Tell me about those. Especially those involving my children."

"Well, then we might be here for a while." Apollo sighed. "Dad's a god-whore."

"Oh?"

"He sleeps around more than anyone else. He did not merely found this pantheon, but practically sired it too." Artemis explained. "Hera has a full-time job trying to keep up with all his affairs."

"Didn't she become the Goddess of Marriage?" Kronos gestured to one of the servants of Hades, who had not been able to flee as their former Master fell. A cup of wine was handed him.

"Oh yes." Ares leaned against the throne. "He cheats on her as if he is the God of Infidelity."

"And what of Poseidon?"

"He's practically the same, but he sticks to birthing Cyclopes here and there instead of actual members of the Pantheon. He married a daughter of Oceanus; Amphitrite and gave her a son; Triton." Artemis gestured to the throne next to them. "Only Hades is faithful to his wife. He ought to be after kidnapping her."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

It was hours later when the three were allowed to return to the room they had claimed as their own. It was the room of Macaria, daughter of Hades and Persephone, who was staying on Olympus with her mother.

"We're back." Artemis whispered as Ares prepared to take a long bath to rid himself of the ichor of their uncle. At the sound of her voice three snakes peeked out from under the bed. One was many times bigger than the others, easily twenty times their size, but all three looked exactly the same: a mixture between a cobra and a python, their bodies rippled with muscles. Their glistening scales were golden with darker golden patterns running down their backs, but their eyes were a piercing silver. The biggest moved to the Huntress, lovingly curling around her offered arm.

"It has begun, my dear." Artemis lifted her up, Apollo doing the same with the two small ones. "Kronos will prepare for war against of Olympus. I hope this works out as intended."

"What must we do if Olympus comes to save Hades?" Apollo asked. "Must we let them, or must we keep him?" Silence was the only answer.


	6. Chapter 6

**Category:** **Greek Mythology**

**Rating:** **M**

**Couples:** **Athena/?, Hephaestus/OC**

**Warnings:** **AU (OOCness for some of the gods at times), Hints of Lemon, Blood: read Torture (but nothing graphic), Character Death **

**Chapter:** **6**

**Copyright:** **Greek Gods © By Whomever they belong, Plot & OC´s © by me**

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Something was plain wrong, Persephone could feel it. It was… She truly couldn't point it out, but it was nagging her like nothing had ever done before. Her father was grieving in his temple, and the winds had all but died down. But that wasn't what made her restless. She needed Hades: that was what was bothering her. But Demeter would never allow her daughter to travel to the Underworld during Summer.

She was Queen and she would be damned if her mother had anything to say about her. And while the three sisters of the King of the Gods tried to get him to do something, the Queen of the Underworld snuck away from Olympus. Cloaked in a dark cape she swiftly traveled to the entrance of the Underworld.

A dark feeling crept up on her as she traveled the moldy hallway down to her husband's palace. It was fear. Why did she feel fear? She lived in this darkness for months at a time. But something felt wrong.

Charon set her over, not saying a word. Just as she was about to enter the vast halls of Hades a terrible scream echoed in the caverns. Her heart stopped as she recognized the voice: Hades. Suddenly in place of the daughter of Demeter a tiny mouse stood in front of the gates. The small mammal shot inside, following the echoes to their origin.

The halls were no longer hers, she realized. People walked in them she had never seen before, and some she did know. She very nearly ran into Artemis with a strange man. She did not recognize him, but the conversation they were having convinced her not to reveal herself. What had happened here?

The echoes led her to places she had not visited in years, storage-rooms far from their quarters.

One of the doors opened as the screams stopped and the little mouse gasped. Her brothers, Ares and Apollo, left the room. Ares was covered in ichor, but not his own.

"I really do not know why I bother to start." Ares complained. "The moment I get into it, he calls for us."

"We ought to remain in his favor, brother." Apollo soothed. "And it is not as if you enjoy doing this."

"True that." They walked past her, their voices fading. In the ensuing silence she heard heavy breathing from the room.

After checking she was truly alone, Persephone turned back into herself, swiftly and silently slipping into the room. She nearly screamed at what greeted her. Hades hung from the ceiling like a piece of meat, golden ichor almost forming a puddle on the ground beneath him.

"Hades?" She breathed, carefully stepping closer.

He looked up, his black eyes having trouble to focus on her. "Persephone?" He croaked.

"Beloved." Despite her gentle touch his first instinct was to get away. "What have they done to you?"

"You must leave." A shudder ran through his body. "You must warn the others, tell them that Ares has opened the gates."

"I can't leave you!" She exclaimed softly. "I will be damned before I do that."

"You must." He insisted. "I can't walk, Ares has ensured that. And you can't possible carry me."

"I won't leave you." She looked around the room, looking for something to use to break the chains. She saw a sword resting in front of some boxes. She picked it up, recoiling as she saw the content of the boxes.

She swung the blade, managing to break the chains. Hades fell forward, groaning at the pain shooting up his tortured legs.

His wife lowered him on the ground as he fought to remain conscious.

"You trust me, don't you?" She whispered, gently stroking his blood-drenched hair away from his face.

"With my existence." He weakly reached up to take her hand, but the chains were too heavy. Almost immediately he felt her power wash over him. The next moment he couldn't see anything anymore. But her hands still stroked him, so he allowed her to do as she wanted.

Persephone slumped slightly. Changing a mortal to look different was easy, but another god was downright exhausting. Had Hades not allowed her, even in his weakened state she would have been unable to. She carefully picked up the Asphodel resting between the chains, cradling it close to her chest as she sneaked outside.

She couldn't change herself into something small now, so she was forced to sneak through her own home. Thankfully the servants were still loyal to her and Hades, helping her to evade the people who had claimed the palace as their own.

But either Tyche, goddess of Luck, had taken to hating her or the Fates were in a foul mood, but she could not evade all. She had to get past the throne-room too and the doors were wide open. Voices sounded from inside.

"And I'm telling you, grandfather, that it is just a matter of time before news of this reaches Olympus." Ares' deep baritone sounded. "They will try to save Hades."

"Let them." The man sounded like her father. "The wounds you dealt him will incapacitate him for years."

"Good for you to say that, grandfather." Artemis said, barely audible. "I sense Persephone standing outside."

"With Hades." Ares growled.

Running footsteps sounded and before she could even blink her siblings stood in front of her. They towered over her, their anger radiating off of them.

"Hello, sister." Apollo shot forward, seizing her arm. "Nice for you to drop by."

"Let her go." An old man stood behind them. "Let her run back to her parents and hide behind Demeter's skirts." He came closer to her, and she saw the light of the torches reflected in his golden eyes. "Run back to Olympus, little girl, and tell them I have returned."

Apollo released her and she did not wait for another word: she ran. Before she slipped between the gates she looked back once more, meeting the eyes of her siblings. The anger had disappeared, leaving only sadness and pain as they flanked the old man. He grinned, making a shooing motion.

"I suggest you leave before I change my mind, my dear daughter-in-law. My son has a good taste and I have not known the feel of a woman for ages."

At that Persephone took flight of her own palace, not stopping or even slowing until she reached Charon. The entire time she clutched the half-withered Asphodel to her chest.


	7. Chapter 7

**Category:** **Greek Mythology**

**Rating:** **M**

**Couples:** **Athena/?, Hephaestus/OC**

**Warnings:** **AU (OOCness for some of the gods at times), Hints of Lemon, Blood: read Torture (but nothing graphic), Character Death **

**Chapter:** **7**

**Copyright:** **Greek Gods © By Whomever they belong, Plot & OC´s © by me**

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Persephone!" Demeter had found that her daughter had gone missing. "Where are you?"

"Mother!" Demeter spun around at the voice of her only child. Persephone can running towards her, clutching something to her chest. The heart of the goddess of the Harvest stopped when she realized that the gold on her daughter's dress was not decoration, but ichor.

"What happened?" She caught her dear daughter in her arms. "Persephone, whose blood is this?"

Deep brown eyes looked downright haunted. "Hades… Mother, he… Ares…" The Queen of the Underworld shivered, desperately trying to get herself under control. She hardly noticed as her mother led her to the Throne-room, pushing her on the first chair she encountered.

"Breathe, child." Demeter ordered softly, sinking to her knees. "Breathe."

Persephone took a deep, shuddering breath.

"Now, what happened?" Demeter asked gently, glancing to her right. Hera stood just a few feet away, a frown on her regal face.

The woman on the chair bit her lip and loosened her hold on the thing she was holding: a half-wilted asphodel. She rose from the chair, walking to one of the couches surrounding the table. As she laid the flower on the soft pillows, her power flooded out of her and into it.

Demeter gasped, her forest-green eyes widening as the small plant took on her true form. The man shivered and the small movement caused even more ichor to spill. He whimpered as Persephone carefully took his hand.

"Ssssshhhh, beloved." Hades heard that wonderful voice again. He struggled to turn to its' source, meeting the beautiful eyes of his wife. "You're save now. We're at Olympus."

"Sweet…" He coughed, his entire body reminding him he shouldn't move.

"Hades?" Behind his wife a woman appeared he knew well, her eyes wide open. "Brother, what happened to you?"

"Ares did this." Persephone told her aunt. "He, Apollo and Artemis have taken over the Underworld."

"No." Hades whispered. "Father has."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"If I may, grandfather, attacking Olympus now would not be a smart idea." Ares leaned against the throne of Hades. "They might not be prepared for a war, but neither are we."

Kronos looked up at his grandson. "The longer we prepare, the longer they can do the same."

"Regardless, they will be no match for you." Artemis supported her brother. "None of them have fought in ages. Those that are of any use in battle are either on your side or dead." She snarled at the last word.

"My children are powerful." Kronos refuted her words.

"Your daughters are not suited for battle, and of your sons, only Poseidon is in any shape to fight." Apollo pointed out. "And he can be overcome."

"If I may, brother, I agree with them." Hyperion sipped of the goblet he held in one hand. He was sitting on Persephone's throne, having watched the ongoing discussion with interest. "Unless we prepare for years, Hades will be unable to join the fights and if what they say is true, Zeus will be too grief-stricken to fight, no matter how long we wait." He pushed his long golden hair over his shoulder. "Besides, we can use the time to find allies."

Kronos looked from his feminine brother to his grandchildren. Then he turned to some of their other siblings in the room. "What say you?"

"They know Olympus." Crius said, gesturing to the three Olympians flanking the King of the Titans. "I trust their judgment if you trust them."

"Then so it shall be." Kronos said. "We will prepare for war. You mentioned having weapons and armor for us?"

"Yes." Ares answered. "Hephaestus' made, Cyclops' made… And certainly enough for everybody."

Kronos rose from the throne. "Lead the way then."

Ares joined him, while the Twins of Leto remained seated. "If you would follow me, they are in our chambers."

"Where did you get all of that anyway?" Kronos walked beside his grandson.

"Years of sacrifices and gifts accumulate a lot of things." Ares glanced at the man beside him. "I am certain we can find something suitable for everyone among them."

"You do not mind this?" Kronos' question surprised the War-God.

"Mind what?" Blood-red eyes did not waver as they looked into pools of pure gold.

"The imminent destruction of your family." Kronos specified. "Your siblings, your children… They will suffer the same fate as my brood."

"Then so it will be." Ares stated. "If the Fates wish for them to remain loyal to Olympus, why should that stop me?"

"And what of fair Aphrodite?" The Titan grinned. "What of your lover?"

"What about her? Where was she when Athena fell? Where was she when Athena died? Where is she now?" Ares' jaw tensed. "At Zeus' side. And there she will remain. For eternity, if need be."

He opened the doors to Macaria's former rooms, leading the way inside. The massive snake on the bed looked up, her silver eyes regarding those that entered. They fastened on Ares.

"Hello." Ares gently scratched her head. "Forgive me for disturbing your rest."

"And who is this?" Kronos cocked his head, watching the massive reptile turn to him at his voice.

"As Athena's blood fell on the earth and her divinity gave way, from it came this snake." Ares explained. "She is all that is left of my sister." His face hardened and his scratch turned harder. The snake hissed, before retreating. "A snake, not even immortal, is all that is left of Athena."


	8. Chapter 8

**Category:** **Greek Mythology**

**Rating:** **M**

**Couples:** **Athena/?, Hephaestus/OC**

**Warnings:** **AU (OOCness for some of the gods at times), Hints of Lemon, Blood: read Torture (but nothing graphic), Character Death **

**Chapter:** **8**

**Copyright:** **Greek Gods © By Whomever they belong, Plot & OC´s © by me**

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Zeus, please." Hera pleaded with her husband. They might have considered him broken when Athena died and three of his other children turned against him, but after the news of the torture of Hades and the freeing of Kronos all he did was stare at a wall. He was downright shattered. "You can't sit here all day."

He did not react. He had not reacted to anything for days: the last time he had shown any kind of reaction was after he had stumbled upon Hades, had heard his story and then locked himself in his bedroom.

"Still no movement?" Poseidon asked when she rejoined her siblings. They were in one of the bigger bedrooms, with Hades resting on the bed. He had recovered some, but the damage Ares had done had been extensive.

"Does it look like there is?" She asked, sitting down next to her older brother. "This would be so much easier if he would actually help us."

"Athena was his favorite daughter." Hades weakly pointed out.

"And Ares is my neighbor?" Hera demanded. "We'll have to throw that out of the window if we want to LIVE. Kronos will want to see us chopped into tiny pieces and thrown into Tartarus."

"We need to prepare for war, whether Zeus will lead us or not." Demeter agreed. "Summon the other gods: we must know who will be for us or against us."

"I'll do that." Hestia left the room quickly, her fire-red hair fanning out behind her.

"Who will lead our forces then?" Hades carefully lifted his arm. "You, Hera? You are the Queen of Olympus."

"But I never was good on a battlefield." She countered. "No, I cannot lead our forces. Poseidon will have to do so."

"I hope I can replace Zeus." The second brother said. "How did it come to this?"

" Gaia." A voice from the doorway spat. Zeus had finally moved. "She has done this."

"Why?" Hera supported him as he sat down on the chair. "Why would she do this?"

"Because I cast the Titans into Tartarus." The youngest brother said. "She turned Athena into a weapon against me."

"How?" Hades sat up, leaning into the pillows. "What were her words?"

Zeus shuddered. "The treachery in the name of your spawn with Metis will be the final uprising. It will either make or destroy you. Heed me, Zeus, as your father did not: that child will either be your ultimate downfall or your never-ending glory. The one betrayed in its' name will fall and he will end forever. In the wake of its' treachery, even the gods are not immortal. Ichor will spill from lethal wounds and drench the soil, mortals will pray to dead ears and no one, not even you, will be able to avert this. The child of Metis will surpass you, Zeus, in power, in everything. Typhon will seem like a bug in comparison to it!" It sounded as if he had repeated those words to himself a hundred times these last few days. He most likely had.

"You should have told us." Demeter admonished. "Is this why you favored her so? To prevent her treachery?"

"She loved me." The thunder-god weakly said.

"That love means nothing when she is dead. Her siblings are out for your blood, brother." Hades rested his hand on the bandages covering his arm. "They care nothing for the once-love of their sister. They only see her corpse on that bed in the cottage."

"I did not know goddesses could die like that." A shudder ran through his body. "Otherwise I would not have ordered it. You must believe me."

He looked like a puppy someone had kicked from his warm home: lost and with an air of sadness that melted even the most stoic of hearts. His eyes, as blue as the sky, shimmered with unshed tears and were puffy and red of those that already had been shed.

"Off course we believe you. And if they had not been blinded by grief and anger Ares, Apollo and Artemis would have seen it too." Poseidon buried him in a tight hug. "They loved her dearly, brother."

"I killed her." Zeus whispered brokenly. "Gaia might have ordained this war, but it was my hand which killed Athena. I am to blame for this."

"No, it was a terrible accident." Hera immediately corrected him. "As you said: had anyone known goddesses could die in childbirth you would not have done what you did. Now come. We must prepare for our father."

"And the children? Can I demand of the others that they fight their siblings? Their lovers? Their parents?" Zeus choked back a sob. "Can I face them?"

"You will have to. We must defeat them." Hera said softly. "They will tear Olympus down around us if we don't."

"I did not want this." Zeus whispered, shudders running through his body anew. "Why did it come to this?"


	9. Chapter 9

**Category:** **Greek Mythology**

**Rating:** **M**

**Couples:** **Athena/?, Hephaestus/OC**

**Warnings:** **AU (OOCness for some of the gods at times), Hints of Lemon, Blood: read Torture (but nothing graphic), Character Death **

**Chapter:** **9**

**Copyright:** **Greek Gods © By Whomever they belong, Plot & OC´s © by me**

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

The Titans claimed the Underworld openly soon thereafter. The three children of Zeus stood alongside of Kronos as he burst from their uncle's domain with his army at his heels.

Apollo and Artemis had always been hunters, but now they no longer merely sought to kill animals: being a priest of almost all Olympians became a death-sentence as the Twins of Leto now hunted those loyal to their father.

Ares did not join in their hunts: he remained at his grandfather's side. The golden snake was a constant companion of the God of War, resting over his shoulders. She seemed to have salvaged Athena's wisdom, allowing him to become a dangerous strategist in the upcoming war.

Kronos was thrilled at the loyalty the three displayed towards him, going so far as to downright attack any family-members that came close. He taught them a greater control of their powers, which they absorbed like a desert does the rain.

The eight remaining Olympians remained together, forming a united front against the Titans. But Artemis had spoken truly: most of them were useless in battle. Unlike what Apollo had said however, Zeus' sisters were not. They protected the priests the Twins hunted and had driven them to flight several times.

Zeus himself still spend all his time in his rooms, only leaving them for short visits with his brother Hades. He lost weight, becoming a pathetic shell of the god who had once confronted Typhon head-on.

Hades remained bed-bound: without Apollo's healing-powers it would take him years to recover fully from the wounds Ares had dealt him. He had told no one about the discrepancies he had noticed while being a prisoner in his own realm. Conversations Apollo and Ares had had when they believed him to be unconscious. Apollo healing him at times, still effectively taking years of his recovery and ensuring that the damage would not handicap him permanently.

He told no one that the golden snake who had become Ares' companion had visited him several times, energy transferring between the two to ensure his continued endurance. Her silver eyes had stared at him for hours at a time, reminding him so much of Athena's that it hurt. At first he believed it to be a new torture, but over time he realized it was her way to comfort him. That made it even worse.

He had felt the residue of Athena's powers in the snake and over time the room had been permeated by it. No wonder her siblings stayed with Kronos even when their anger had been cooled: the snake was a constant reminder of what had driven them away from their family in the first place.

But then again, the conversations implied something else, something deeper behind this entire war. 'Her will' is what they had been talking about the entire time. 'Our oaths' was something that had popped up more than once. 'The prophecy' had also been talked about. At least he had a hint of what that prophecy was: Athena's.

But the oaths? The will of an unknown woman? He had no idea what those were. Was it Athena's will? But why would she want this? She was loyal to her father, down to a fault. Why would she want war like this upon him?

And if it wasn't her, who could draw them away like this from their family? Who could demand of them to release Kronos and have them actually do it?

The – former – Lord of the Underworld had the nasty habit to brood whenever he was bored. Being confined to a bed made him very bored. The entire situation did not help improve his line of thought. He kept wrecking his head over what had happened,

He came up empty. No matter how often he replayed the months leading up to this moment, he couldn't explain this course of action his nephews and niece had taken.

It had been no secret that they had condemned their father for the punishment he had dealt Athena when she had become pregnant and all three had grown more hateful as time went by, true that, but that did not explain how they could have gone this far.

He allowed his head to fall back against the white pillows, his hair forming a black curtain over them. It could not explain anything.

Why? Why? WHY? He growled in frustration. "How did it come to this, Gaia! You are behind this!" He screamed his anger to the sky. "Why? Why did you do this?"


	10. Chapter 10

**Category:** **Greek Mythology**

**Rating:** **M**

**Couples:** **Athena/?, Hephaestus/OC**

**Warnings:** **AU (OOCness for some of the gods at times), Hints of Lemon, Blood: read Torture (but nothing graphic), Character Death **

**Chapter:** **10**

**Copyright:** **Greek Gods © By Whomever they belong, Plot & OC´s © by me**

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"You will stay here." Ares put down the two snakes he was holding. The big ones was still wrapped around his neck, her silver eyes looking at the two young ones. "Athena's owl will stay with you. Do as he says."

The owl in question was sitting on Artemis' hand, the Huntress holding her silver bow with the other. Apollo stood next to her, his own golden bow resting over his shoulder. The god of prophecies wore an elaborate helmet, highlighting his golden hair. All three looked serious: the clash between Olympus and the Underworld, now fully in Kronos' hands, was about to start.

The two snakes hissed in protest, neither happy with this arrangement.

"No argument." Artemis stated. "Regardless of the outcome of this battle, you are in danger. You will stay here and only leave when Glaukopsis tells you to."

At the mention of his name the owl left her hand for the foot-end of the bed. Pain flashed in his glowing eyes as he looked upon the piece of furniture. It had been many years since he had last seen it, but the image would be forever engraved in his mind: Athena covered in her own ichor, the golden blood of the gods. He ruffled his feathers as the memory came back full force.

"Glaukopsis." Ares now towered over the bird. "I count on you in this. Regardless of our fate, protect them. Keep them save."

"On my life." Words which carried awful truth: his very existence depended on the blood of Athena still being there. If that blood was gone, so was he.

"You better. Come, my siblings, we must be on the battlefield when it begins." All three of them left, a bright light illuminating the cabin for a few seconds before fading away.

As the two young snakes made themselves comfortable on the bed, the massive bird flew the short distance to the window. From there he could see the beginnings of battle far in the south. Dark clouds rolled across the lands, blotting out the light of Helios. Gaia herself shook whenever her children met theirs.

Things had been in a stalemate since years. Once Zeus had somehow managed to drag himself from his bedroom the Olympians had started to regain ground once more. Now the two armies had been in a stalemate for months, leading to Kronos attacking full force.

It was a repeat of the Titanomachy all over again. Two camps, tearing apart the world to defeat the other, the mortals being simple playthings at best. The gods could no longer afford to use their energy to protect them, and the Titans did not care how many died as long as Olympus fell.

The blood that had been spilled on both sides would have filled the Mediterranean at least twice, and the old owl knew enough of warfare to know that this battle could well double it.

He turned his head to the bed where both snakes had curled up, deeply asleep. It should not have come this far. It never should have.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"We'll die, won't we?" Artemis asked her brothers. "Regardless of outcome, it won't include us, will it?"

Apollo looked at her, then the ground. "No. I got a prophecy this morning. Now that Delphi is destroyed they come to me rather than my oracle."

"What was it?" Ares turned away from the battlefield, sighing in defeat.

"'As the prophecy of wisdom ends, so shall the children of the victor. Few against many will prevail… at the cost of their immortal lives.'" Apollo softly said. "Few against many. That's us."

"Oh, for Chaos' sake." Ares clenched his fist. "This better be all worth it."

"And what will you do if it isn't?" Artemis challenged. "We'll be dead, Ares. Not gone for a few years, or banished… We will be dead."

"Thanks, I hadn't noticed that yet." He snapped. "Apollo foretold it scant minutes ago after all."

A sharp hiss drew the attention of all three. Ares' snake was staring them down from where she lay. 'You agreed to this.' Her silver eyes told them. 'You knew what would be asked of you. Do not dare to back out now.'

Ares sighed, reaching for her. She lovingly draped herself over him again as both his siblings cuddled close. It would be the last time they'd be able to do this.


	11. Chapter 11

**Category:** **Greek Mythology**

**Rating:** **M**

**Couples:** **Athena/?, Hephaestus/OC**

**Warnings:** **AU (OOCness for some of the gods at times), Hints of Lemon, Blood: read Torture (but nothing graphic), Character Death **

**Chapter:** **11**

**Copyright:** **Greek Gods © By Whomever they belong, Plot & OC´s © by me**

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Zeus had managed to get himself out of his bedroom to do something, that much had been true, but now that he was on the battlefield he wanted nothing more than to get back into it. His children stood beside his father and it broke his heart. He had hoped they would come to realize that he had never wanted Athena to die, but that hope had been useless.

A hand closed around his, squeezing it gently. Hera looked up at him, her purple eyes shining in the fading light. Poseidon stood beside them, his trident glowing with power. The other two sisters stood on their other side, dressed for war.

Hades was not here though. The former ruler of the Underworld was still not properly healed and would only be a distraction if he had been present. He and several minor gods had stayed behind on Olympus, as a last line of defense should the army fall. Not that it would matter much then, but it was better to go down fighting. And fight they would, even if that meant tearing their family apart.

Sadly, it would come that far. Ares stood proudly beside his grandfather, golden snake resting over his shoulders while the Twins of Leto flanked him. Their bows glowed with their power as fitting arrows rested on the strings.

"Something is wrong." Leto whispered. She stood behind him, her own bow resting loosely in one hand.

"What would that be?" Hera asked. She and the Titaness had bonded over the treachery of their children and got along much better now.

"I know Artemis and Apollo, they are my children. They are not angry, only grieved." She gestured with her head to where the two were standing. "Look at them. Their heart is no longer in this battle."

"Then why are they still fighting it?" Hestia wondered, the braid of her long red hair dancing around her in the wind. "If their hearts are not in it, why do they still side with Kronos?"

"Maybe they are afraid of Ares?" Demeter suggested, gesturing to her nephew.

"Would that cause them to betray their family?" Hera asked. "I doubt Ares can be that fear-inspiring."

"Careful, sister, do not underestimate him." Poseidon warned her. "He is not the Ares from before Athena's demise, remember?"

It was a terrible truth they had been forced to face: war had been split between two deities with Athena holding the strategy and Ares the massacre, but with Athena gone Ares seemed to have gained dominion over both, making him far more dangerous than he had ever been before. And each and every bit of his new skills seemed aimed towards eradicating his family. Unlike his siblings the only thing visibly on his face was anger…

They saw how Kronos spoke to the son of Hera, whispering in his ear. Ares answered in kind, his elaborate helmet hiding most of his face from view.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Ready, my siblings?" Ares turned to the other two Olympians.

"As ready as we will ever be." Artemis answered him, her face hardening. "Let's do this."

"It is now or never." Apollo agreed. "I have foreseen it: Athena's prophecy will come to an end today. The side betrayed in her name will fall."

"Good to know." Kronos smiled. "Come then, let us go and meet Zeus."

"As you wish." The four walked down the hill, the army parting for them. Power radiated from the children of Zeus, the lessons of the Titans having caused a grow-spurt in their power.

Their movements were mirrored by the children of Kronos in the Olympian army.

Four met five in the middle of the battlefield.

"Are you sure you wish to proceed, my… son?" Kronos grinned as he studied Zeus. The God of Thunder still bore the marks of grief. "Are you this eager to lose more of your children?"

"I'm more eager to beat you back to Tartarus." Zeus snarled, thunder rumbling in the distance.

"Father, relax." Ares spoke. "Save your energy, you will need it."

"Keep out of this." Hera pointed at her son. "You are a disgrace. I should never have cast Hephaestus from Olympus, but you!"

"And that would have prevented this?" Ares growled. "I think that would have been another good reason to throw you into Tartarus."

"It would be the first reason." Zeus pulled Hera back. "Ares, Apollo, Artemis, it is not too late. I never wanted this: I never wanted Athena to die."

"It is too late, father." Apollo countered. "The end of this battle is determined. And we will be victorious. Athena's prophecy – the one you killed her for – is coming to an end."

"I made a mistake!"

"That will cost you all." Kronos smiled. "Perhaps in the end I was a better father. At least I did not kill my favorite child because she was pregnant."

"No, you ate all of them." The shadows of the sisters thickened, rising up to form a man. "Making it two things I owe you for." Hades pulled off his helmet, tucking it under his arm.

Kronos' eyes narrowed as he watched his oldest son appear, but soon he grinned when he saw the slight limb Hades had.

"Well, let us see how well you will do in battle, uncle." Apollo's face was filled with disdain. "A good hit against your leg and you're down."

"First someone will have to hit it." Hades towered over his nephew, the two of them opposites in every regard. "I dare you to try, Apollo."

"We have better things to do." Artemis snarled. "More important things. You should have hidden yourself away, uncle. Now you will witness our victory and suffer the consequences."

The Titan-delegation turned on their heels and marched back to the army. None of the children of Zeus looked back once.

In the Olympian army there was one who had just faced a terrible realization: Dionysus, God of Wine and Theatre, had seen something which had revealed a terrible truth to him. A truth capable of determining the fate of the world.


	12. Chapter 12

**Category:** **Greek Mythology**

**Rating:** **M**

**Couples:** **Athena/?, Hephaestus/OC**

**Warnings:** **AU (OOCness for some of the gods at times), Hints of Lemon, Blood: read Torture (but nothing graphic), Character Death **

**Chapter:** **12**

**Copyright:** **Greek Gods © By Whomever they belong, Plot & OC´s © by me**

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Dionysus alone had seen the truth in his siblings. He alone faced the painful reality his family would need a battle to reveal: acting. They were acting. The God of Theatre had ruled that particular domain long enough to recognize the signs, even among the gods. So he was one of few – perhaps even the only one – who were less surprised when they revealed the act to Kronos. Granted, even he had not expected the very extend of the act: the snake of Ares, whom he claimed was born when Athena's blood hit the cold ground of the North, revealed her true form to be Athena herself, raging and more powerful than any had ever seen her before.

Binding their family in place, these four fought the Titan-army alone.

Artemis was the first to fall. The Huntress missed a dodge, allowing Hyperion to all but burn her alive. With her last strength, she summoned a horde of wolves, creatures of the darkness with teeth like daggers and bloodlust in their hearts.

They entered this world together and they would leave it together. Apollo, distraught over his sister's fate, became blind to his surroundings, noticing the sword only when his head was already flying loose from his body. Golden ichor mixed with the famed golden hair of the Music-God as his head fell to the ground, eyes still wide-open.

Both disappeared under a mound of monsters and Titans.

Ares fell at the end of the battle, when the shields surrounding his family were giving way. Kronos himself cut the God of War down like he was weed, but it came at a price: Athena struck him down before the upper half of her brother had even hit the ground.

But hundreds against one are never good odds, not even for a goddess who carries the title Nike, the Victor. Athena died in Zeus' arms, her wounds more than even she could endure.

Her breath lasted only for a single word: 'Cabin…'

Silver eyes closed for the last time after that, as Zeus whispered: "'The treachery in the name of your spawn with Metis will be the final uprising. It will either make or destroy you. Heed me, Zeus, as your father did not: that child will either be your ultimate downfall or your never-ending glory. The one betrayed in its' name will fall and he will end forever. In the wake of its' treachery, even the gods are not immortal. Ichor will spill from lethal wounds and drench the soil, mortals will pray to dead ears and no one, not even you, will be able to avert this. The child of Metis will surpass you, Zeus, in power, in everything.' Oh Athena, I see now. You knew of the prophecy and choose to have it end in my favor. I was never betrayed in your name, but my father was."

As he cradled her limb body, the world ended. Rain fell from the skies in torrents, forming veritable waves on its' way down the high mountains of Greece.

The light of Hermes leaving with the speed of the Gods was blocked by the darkness descending over the earth.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Hermes flew over the Earth with a speed even very few Gods could match. The Cabin Athena had given birth in stood still as it had all those years ago. The Gods had not dared come near it and the Titans had feared that it would bring them the ill-will of Ares, Artemis and Apollo should they attempt to desecrate the place where Athena had died.

Except she had not died that day, but only mere minutes ago. How could no one have noticed that?

He carefully approached the door of the small building, wondering why she would expend her last breath to send someone here.

The wood creaked only slightly when he pushed the door open, stepping inside. The room was empty, or so he thought.

"So the war is over and they are death." The voice came from the only window in the stone walls. An owl sat on the window-sill, silver eyes gleaming in the fading light. The clouds of Zeus' anger and grief now started to reach the far north where the cabin stood on a field of wilting grass.

"Yes." Hermes stepped closer to the bird. "You are Athena's, aren't you?"

"I was." The bird nodded. "She and her siblings are death, aren't they?"

"Yes…" It took Hermes' entire willpower to admit that fact. "She used her last breath to send someone here. Why?"

"Goddesses do not die in childbirth." The owl said. "She survived it, even without the aid of a patroness of childbirth. Do you honestly think her child did not?"

"No…" Hermes' anguish multiplied a hundred times at the realization. "Tell me that it isn't true…"

"A son and a daughter she bore into this very house." The bird replied coldly. "Children she bore to save Olympus. And now they are orphans, the only family they ever knew lies dead on the field YOU should have fought upon. My mistress bore children into this world, knowing full well that she'd never see them grow up. All because of Olympus!" He screeched in unbridled anger. His mistress, his creator had died and he had felt every second of it. "But her love was ever true. I just hope that it will be enough to mend the wounds her children now bear."

"Where are they?" Hermes demanded.

A brown wing extended, pointing towards the bed. Only now did the God notice the two snakes on it, tightly curled together.

"I am your uncle Hermes. Will you come with me?" He asked, sinking to the ground in front of them. They looked like Athena had when she had been a snake. "I will take care of you."


	13. Chapter 13

**Category:** **Greek Mythology**

**Rating:** **M**

**Couples:** **Athena/?, Hephaestus/OC**

**Warnings:** **AU (OOCness for some of the gods at times), Hints of Lemon, Blood: read Torture (but nothing graphic), Character Death **

**Chapter:** **13**

**Copyright:** **Greek Gods © By Whomever they belong, Plot & OC´s © by me**

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Hermes carried them back to Olympus as if they were the most precious treasure he possessed. The owl of Athena flew beside him, seemingly unbothered by the torrents still falling from the skies. As they neared the great mountain where the Gods dwelled, the rain got worse and thunder and lightning kept flashing and rumbling without pause. The messenger of the Gods shielded the small snakes with his body, fighting against the storm-winds heralding his father's grief. He kept low to the ground, using the mountains of Greece as shields against the elements. Below him the mortals suffered, most houses already damaged by the war and now only inadequate protection against the rage of the Thunder-God.

He touched down on the marble streets, walking the rest of the way. Glaukopsis stayed near him, touching down on his shoulder only at the very end of the worst walk in Hermes' entire life.

The great Hall was filled with gods, most of which unharmed, but that is not what Hermes saw first as he entered the golden doors. In the center, on a rise pulled from the very stone of the mountain, rested four bodies. They had been restored in their full glory, but they were still pretty much dead.

For a moment claws buried themselves in divine flesh as the great owl flew forward, touching down reverently next to the middle body. Athena's silver eyes were closed, her brown hair fanning out around her face. She looked almost peaceful, despite having died almost the most horrible of her siblings. She had left her two children in a small cottage, only under watch of an owl and then had gone to war, knowing full well she'd never return to them.

The screech echoing in the room was more terrible than that of the Furies, more profound than that of the Sirens and more grief-filled than that of a fresh widow. Glaukopsis mourned his Lady and all else that he lost that day. Far down, in the world of the Mortals, over the sound of falling rain and rumbling thunder for but a moment the sound of indescribably grief was heard. Thousands of owls howled in pain-filled voices to the black skies, joined by many other animals. Later, the mortals would realize that each and every mourning beast was a beast that was considered the patron-animal of four gods: Athena, Artemis, Apollo and Ares. But in that moment, all the mortals could do was cower in their houses, the choir of grief penetrating them to the bone.

And Hermes knew it would get much worse. Greece would drown in the tears of Zeus, swept away by a rain graver than any other, including the one already very much drenching the soil.

"Is that all there was in the Cabin?" Hera asked, pointing at the now silent owl.

"No." Hermes shook his head. "Forgive me, father, but I must worsen your grief."

"How could you possibly do that?" Zeus asked, his voice soft and subdued.

"Goddesses do not die in childbirth, regardless of circumstances." Hermes whispered. "Do you think divine children would?"

He revealed what he was holding: two small snakes. They hesitated for a moment, before descending to the cold marble floor. A faint glow came over them and suddenly there were two children standing in front of the rise that held the four children of Zeus. The boy was half a head taller than the girl. His eyes were a piercing blue and golden locks framed his pale face. The girl was clinging to him, her red-silver eyes staring from behind a black curtain of hair at the gods surrounding them.

"Athena's children." Hermes introduced them. "Your grandchildren."

Greece drowned that night, valleys becoming lakes and hundreds dying in the floods that preceded them.


	14. Chapter 14

**Category:** **Greek Mythology**

**Rating:** **M**

**Couples:** **Athena/?, Hephaestus/OC**

**Warnings:** **AU (OOCness for some of the gods at times), Hints of Lemon, Blood: read Torture (but nothing graphic), Character Death **

**Chapter:** **14**

**Copyright:** **Greek Gods © By Whomever they belong, Plot & OC´s © by me**

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"So, what exactly happened?" Hera asked. "At first they were our enemies, but suddenly they gave their lives for us?"

"They were never enemies." A soft voice penetrated the ensuing silence. Glaukopsis looked up, his ancient eyes tearing themselves away from the four corpses on the raise. "Their hearts were always with Olympus."

"That they were." Zeus came down from his throne. "Had their hearts even wavered for a moment, the prophecy would have ended in Kronos' favor."

His hand rested on the cold stone next to Athena's head. "Loyal to the end, all four of them. But how? Do you know, owl?"

"I do." Brown feathers shifted as the bird turned. "What my Lady knew, I knew."

"Then tell us." Hades demanded. "We have a right to know."

The owl's eyes narrowed.

"Do it." The soft voice of a boy spoke up. "Tell them what they want to know."

Athena's son stood at the foot-end of the raise that held his mother. Unlike his sister, he was not crying, instead his sky-blue eyes were empty. One of his hands rested on his sister's shoulder, the other hung limply at his side.

"Galatios." The owl turned half, looking at the boy.

"You heard me, Glaukopsis. Do as I say." The boy spoke more clearly now.

"Brother." It was the first time the girl spoke. "There is no need to take your anger out on him." Her red-silver eyes were puffy from her tears, but they carried the unbending spirit of Athena in their depths. "Or me. What has been done has been done. "

The boy huffed, turning away from them. Shivers ran through his body. He collapsed with a wail, crystalline tears running down his pale cheeks.

The pain was too much for the young children. Their world had died; everything they had ever known now lay in ruins and ashes.

The Cabin they had been born in? Washed away by Zeus' grief. Their Parents? Dead by Titan's hand.

The only thing they had left was their mother's owl, her wisdom given form and thought.

5 years was a terrible age to lose your parent: enough to bond to them, but not enough to be able to go on without them. For gods it was even worse. They were eternal and losing something valuable could well scar them for that entire eternity. And few things were more valuable than family, as the twin-children of Athena found to their great pain. Their grandfather was a stranger to them, their grandmother's ditto. They had been told the stories about the massive family that was the Olympian Pantheon, but to them the people in it had been as alien and far away as they were to the mortals.

But despite the strangeness of the gods surrounding them, they felt more at home in the great hall than any other place before. They were the children of Olympians and that heritage would not be denied.

Galatios, oldest of the twins by mere minutes, was a child of Apollo, conceived minutes after his sister. Galatia, his half-sister despite mere minutes separating them, was the daughter of Ares, conceived first, but born last. Their hair and eyes came from their fathers, but the skin pale as moonlight came from their mother. Raised in the Underworld, they had never truly seen the sun. This enhanced their natural paleness, making them near indistinguishable from the corpses resting a few feet away from them.

Gentle warmth surrounded them, and while it was not their mother's, it was close. Hera had taken pity on her grandson and his sister, enveloping them in a comforting hug.

The silk of her dress was soft against their cheeks as they sobbed their grief to the ever-darkening sky.

They cried themselves into exhaustion, and hours later they were sleeping in her arms. Even the storm outside grew silent as she and her husband carried them to one of the beds scattered throughout the building. Explanations could wait. The children had priority right now, rights be damned.


	15. Chapter 15

**Category:** **Greek Mythology**

**Rating:** **M**

**Couples:** **Athena/?, Hephaestus/OC**

**Warnings:** **AU (OOCness for some of the gods at times), Hints of Lemon, Blood: read Torture (but nothing graphic), Character Death **

**Chapter:** **15**

**Copyright:** **Greek Gods © By Whomever they belong, Plot & OC´s © by me**

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

With a resilience only children posses Galatia and Galatios integrated into the Olympian Pantheon, or rather what was left of it. A third of the twelve Olympians was death, leaving a power-vacuum of terrible proportions in their wake. Wars fizzled out without the will of Ares driving them along. Music quieted without Apollo's blessing to ensure its' beauty and endurance. Hunts meant to sustain the recovering populace of the mortal world failed without Artemis' favor upon the hunters. The creation of all necessities, from cloth to baskets and buildings, came to a shuddering halt before it even started now that Athena no longer guided the humans in the arts and crafts needed to make them.

But the Gods had pity on the mortals, and Demeter made the harvests more abundant than ever, despite the ruined fields on which they stood, to ensure that even without the meat of hunts, humanity could eat. The Muses took the place of Apollo, ensuring that even with lesser music, the mortals would not be silent. And Zeus himself, grieved by what he had done commanded the ruined walls to rebuild themselves.

Slowly but surely, the humans recovered. But not so the Gods…

The sixth birthday of Athena's twins came ever closer and with it came a new wave of grief for the Olympians. It had been on that fateful day the fates of the Four Fallen – as they had become known – had been sealed. In the days leading up to it the weather was downcast, and although there was no rain, the clouds were a terrible dark-grey, heralding a terrible grief of their Master.

On the day itself the Gods gathered on the grand mountain and Zeus parted the black curtain to allow the light of the sun to flow through the marble streets.

Among the lesser Gods stood Protogenoi, precursors of the Titans, to honor the two grandchildren of Zeus who had lost so much for the victory of Olympus. Even Gaia attended, swearing on the Styx that she had had no hand in this particular turn of events.

It was nearing evening, that time when Nyx, the Night, trades places with her daughter Hemera, the Day, that a stranger appeared at the edge of the field on which they celebrated. He radiated power even beyond that of the Protogenoi, but he limped and moaned at every step as he walked up to the dais where the 8 remaining Olympians sat with the children. Where he passed silence descended over the people, as the surrounding silence itself grew louder and more oppressing. Shadows lightened while light darkened, creating a strange twilight on the field. Colors dulled and yet grew more glaringly obvious in his wake. All he seemed to be was a cloak, pristine and yet ruined, but whenever someone could get a peek under his hood they would see eyes where there should be none, or mouths of animals on a humans face. At times his movements would open the cloak he was wearing and one could see a writhing mass of flesh, animals creeping through it and scales, skin, fur and even feathers traveling along it like leaves on a pond.

"Chaos." Nyx breathed as he reached the dais. The mother of Thanatos, Morpheus and dozen others had recognized her father.

"Nyx, my daughter." One letter his voice was shrill like that of a harpy, the next deep as the sea. Female and male, child and adult, strong and weak: all could be heard as he spoke.

He did not bow before Zeus, knowing that he was the greatest power of all, but he nodded in greeting. "I come to give my regards to your grandchildren, son of my grandson." An arm, half animal and half human, gestured to the two children at Zeus' side. As they watched the arm shifted, becoming a tentacle with the softest fur, before he pulled it under his cloak again. "Forgive my appearance, but I am not meant to manifest here, as you well know."

"I know this well indeed. But forgive my curiosity; why do you suddenly give your regards?" Zeus asked, resting his hands on the shoulders of the twins.

"I felt it would be appropriate." Chaos chuckled. "I have a gift for you, children."

The two young Gods climbed down from the pillows they had been resting on, holding hands as they came to stand in front of him. Galatia looked straight into his hood, her father's fearlessness running strong in her blood, but Galatios focused on a point at his shoulder.

"Here." A hand came out, and while the arm changed the appendage stayed the same. Resting in it was a ball of a strange material. Underneath the shimmering surface swirled dark smoke, flashing at times with a bright light. "For you."

Galatia accepted it, finding spots of heat and cold traveling over its' surface. "Thank you, it is beautiful."

Chaos chuckled as he withdrew his own hand. "You are welcome, but you are only admiring the wrapping, not the actual gift. That rests inside still. Open it."

"How?" Galatios whispered.

"Throw it on these marble stones." Chaos gestured downward. "Break the ball and your gift will be revealed."


	16. Chapter 16

**Category:** **Greek Mythology**

**Rating:** **M**

**Couples:** **Athena/?, Hephaestus/OC**

**Warnings:** **AU (OOCness for some of the gods at times), Hints of Lemon, Blood: read Torture (but nothing graphic), Character Death **

**Chapter:** **16**

**Copyright:** **Greek Gods © By Whomever they belong, Plot & OC´s © by me**

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Break it?" Galatia looked at the ball she was holding. It seemed like a shame to do that.

"It will be worth it." Chaos assured her, his eyes shining with gentle warmth even when taking different forms and numbers. "Go on."

She shared a quick glance with her brother and then lifted the ball above her head. She threw it down with all her might – considering her heritage that was quite a bit – and watched as it shattered into millions of tiny shards in front of her feet.

The smoke escaped, rising up into the air. Chaos stepped back, gesturing up with one hand. "The greatest gift anyone can bestow, is the gift of a loving family. When Gods die, they fade into nothingness and become a part of everything. I am everything, I am nothing. While the Titans soon fell apart to become indistinguishable from me, the gods did not. Despite it being unbearable for each of us, they clung to themselves and, more importantly, to you. Such devotion, such love ought to be rewarded."

Four bodies formed, long robes fluttering in the breeze. Two were female, two were male.

"They were devoted to you, Zeus." Chaos said. "You should ensure they do not die again."

As he faded into nothing and the mountain-top returned to normal, the four bodies sank to the ground, softly settling on the marble stones.

"Mom?" Galatios breathed, staring with wide eyes at the brunette laying in front of him. His eyes wandered to the other three bodies and each he recognized: his father, his sister's father and their aunt. They were breathing, but their eyes were closed.

He reached out with a shivering hand, almost afraid that they'd evaporate should he touch them, and rested it on the pale cheek of his mother.

Her silver eyes opened, meeting his almost immediately.

Both he and his sister hung around her neck the next moment, sobbing.

"Ssh…" She soothed them. "It's alright, it's alright, my little ones."

Beside her her siblings rose, woken by the flurry of sounds and movement.

"Well damn, let's not do that again." Ares said, stretching briefly. "I finally understand what the mortals' problem with dying is."

"Idiot." Artemis muttered fondly, struggling to her feet. "But I agree. That hurt."

No more words were spoken as if on some unspoken signal they turned to their father, still sitting on the dais, frozen in shock.

"Father." All four said at once, their voices echoing across the mountain-top. Still he did not move, but the look in his eyes spoke of immeasurable joy at their return.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"I wanted you to banish me, father." Athena bluntly stated, watching as he paced in the throne-room. Her children were sitting on her lap, arms still locked around her neck. The 12 Olympians had taken their thrones again, now being complete again. "I challenged you on purpose."

"Still, the fact that it was so easy speaks of how much trust I have in you." He stated. "It should not have been that easy for you to get me to that point."

"Father." Artemis piped in. "You are a proud god, and Pride is a thing that is easily manipulated. Leave it be. We have defeated the Titans for good, and we're all alive again. What else matters?"

"That you needed to be brought to life again to begin with!" Zeus stated, clearly upset. "That my grandchildren needed to lose their parents to begin with! That all this was necessary. THAT matters…"

"Dad." Ares' voice was soft. "We knew what we involved ourselves into. We knew the price we'd have to pay. If we saw no problem with it, neither should you. Celebrate your victory, rather than mourn the price that was not paid in the end."

Zeus looked at the four of them, staring at them. Then he nodded in defeat.


	17. Epilogue

**Category:** **Greek Mythology**

**Rating:** **M**

**Couples:** **Athena/?, Hephaestus/OC**

**Warnings:** **AU (OOCness for some of the gods at times), Hints of Lemon, Blood: read Torture (but nothing graphic), Character Death **

**Chapter:** **Epilogue**

**Copyright:** **Greek Gods © By Whomever they belong, Plot & OC´s © by me**

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"He wants to divorce Aphrodite and marry MY little girl?" Ares demanded, fuming. He was pacing in front of the mother of said little girl, snarling at his brother's guts.

"That is the gist of it." Athena was resting on a divan, watching him fume. A wine-glass rested on the table in front of her, the red liquid inside trembling with every thundering step her brother took. "You cannot deny that he loves her and she him."

"I am not doing that." Ares stopped mid-step, freezing. "It's just… What kind of image will that give?"

"The one we have been giving off for ages? That we care not for family when choosing our consorts." She rose, the rich fabric of her dress rustling as she moved to him. "As you gave me the freedom, give it to her."

"I gave you the freedom to return to a life of virginity." Ares countered. "I'd be giving her the freedom to sleep with my brother."

"Which bears some interesting similarities with our uncle and sister." Apollo, who had been leaning against the wall. "And considering her mother won't throw a fit over it, I see no problem."

"Do I have any say in this?" Ares demanded.

"She is an adult, and a Goddess to boot. No, you don't." Athena chuckled. "Let her. Galatia is like you: once her mind is set to something, she will not settle for less. And her mind is set on marrying Hepheastus."

"I'm pretty sure she got THAT from you." Ares poked her. "You are the one who always gets what she wants."

"I must agree with him on that count." Artemis stated. "Even if he is pretty much dooming himself here."

Ares frowned when he realized she spoke the truth. "Very well, I will give my blessing. But believe me, he better treat her well."

"If he doesn't you'd have to beat me to murdering him." Athena assured him. "Take some wine brother, and calm down."

"Yes, before there is another World War down there." Apollo supported her. "Humanity really can't afford WW3 right now."

"Amen to that." Artemis played with one of her silver arrows. "Since you two got together wars are bad as it is."

Athena chuckled, glancing over at Ares, who was grinning smugly, which earned him a punch in the ribs.

"Is it my fault Mister I-want-only-bloodshed-and-my-sister here asked for my hand in marriage?" Athena countered.

"You did not complain one bit." Ares countered her argument. "And father gave you the chance to object, you know."


End file.
